Will Ben Affleck’s ‘Batman’ keep Catwoman in the litter box?

Ben Affleck’s ‘The Batman’ May Not Include Catwoman, but Sienna Miller would love to play her

The next film to be released in the DC Cinematic Universe is next summer’s Wonder Woman, starring the magnificent Gal Gadot as the Amazonian hero. Following that film is Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which will bring together some of the most iconic characters from the DC catalog. These early stages are pretty integral to Warner Bros. advancing with their superhero universe because they have already scheduled many more installments, including Ben Affleck’s The Batman. It was reported long ago that the actor would direct, co-write, produce and star in the standalone movie about the Caped Crusader. Despite The Batman not yet having a release date (as of this writing), the buzz surrounding the project couldn’t be higher.

One of the few parts of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that was universally praised was Affleck’s stellar performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Arguably, the actor’s version of the dual-role is one of the best to date. And what makes Affleck’s presence in the DC Cinematic Universe even more enticing is that The Batman will be dedicated entirely to exploring the darkest depths of the titular character.

Much of Batman’s complicated past stems from his various love interests. So, obviously, the dangerous but alluring Catwoman falls into that murky category. The heroine was last seen on the big screen in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, played by Anne Hathaway. She and Batman didn’t have a romantic relationship in that film, but they still had a magnetic partnership nevertheless. Because The Dark Knight trilogy is technically not a part of the DC Cinematic Universe, Catwoman must now be reintroduced once again. So, will she appear in The Batman? Well, Fandango editor Erik Davis recently tweeted that during a conversation with Affleck’s Live By Night co-star, Sienna Miller, the actress revealed that The Batman’s script does not currently feature Catwoman.

Sienna Miller told me tonight that she wants to play Catwoman in Affleck's Batman movie. "She's not in the script but I wanna write her in!"

Because the tweet shows Miller’s facetious interest in writing Catwoman into the film, Davis tweeted again later on to clarify the comment. It wasn’t really that necessary to do, but apparently, some people were convinced that Miller might actually have a role in crafting the script.

An update to my Sienna Miller tweet, because I see it's becoming a news story: she is not writing the script, so don't take her word as bond

The last few months have been host to a number of juicy reveals and announcements about The Batman. There was a rumor floating around for a while that The Batman would largely take place in the notorious Arkham Asylum. But the truth to that was marginally diluted when it was later announced that the film would feature the villain Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello), who is not associated with the iconic mental institution. The latest development, however, has been The Batman’s rumored Spring 2018 release date. It’s not at all unlikely that Warner Bros. will move forward with that timeframe since they still don’t have their entire DC schedule lined up just yet.

All of the mystery about The Batman is certainly bittersweet because there’s still plenty of time for some big — and exciting — changes to be made, but it also leaves much to be desired from fans. There’s still no official plot synopsis, full cast/character list, or many known members of the film’s creative team. Warner Bros. really needs to move past its recent troubles with Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, so hopefully a film like The Batman is a push in the right direction for them.

The Batman is currently without a release date, but it should hit in either 2018 or 2019.

I am a Media Studies graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I have been writing about film for years now, ranging from news to screenplays. Some of my favorite films are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and Monsters, Inc. I am also a bit of a history buff, particularly with World War II.